Interstellar visitor detected!

[Loren Pechtel]

http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/breaki...ur-first-interstellar-visitor-note-not-aliens

Appears to be a rock.

Rama, perhaps?

 

[Angra Mainyu]

It's a starship made out of an asteroid!

 

[DBT]

By their orbits ye shall know them.

 

[Speakpigeon]

The taxman's coming.
EB

 

[Speakpigeon]

There's still a possibility it comes for our solar system.

A natural possibility.

There’s another possibility: If there’s another planet in our solar system orbiting far, far beyond Neptune, and the asteroid started somewhere nearby (that is, as part of our solar system since the start) and passed close to this planet, it could get a kick in velocity and get flung down towards us at higher speed. However, a lot of things have to line up for this to happen so the odds on this are incredibly low, so low I’d put them at essentially 0. But I’d be remiss not to at least mention it.

But I'd say that pretending to be a rock is good camo practice.

Humans sure look dangerous enough to me for Aliens to take elementary precautions.
EB

 

[barbos]

Its trajectory was in galactic plane, so it's most likely was ejected billions of years ago.

 

[bilby]

Let me know when it starts to decelerate...

 

[barbos]

Let me know when it starts to decelerate...

Well, it is decelerating now. You've been informed.

 

[Treedbear]

Too bad we didn't send a probe to take a sample of it. Might have been the chance of a lifetime.

 

[barbos]

Too bad we didn't send a probe to take a sample of it. Might have been the chance of a lifetime.

It takes years to plan and then years to complete such a mission. And in this case considering the trajectory of the interstellar asteroid it is most certainly physically impossible to land on it, not with chemical rockets.

 

[Treedbear]

Too bad we didn't send a probe to take a sample of it. Might have been the chance of a lifetime.

It takes years to plan and then years to complete such a mission. And in this case considering the trajectory of the interstellar asteroid it is most certainly physically impossible to land on it, not with chemical rockets.

That's what I was wondering. Out of the planetary plane so it would take lots of thrust to get to that velocity. Still, so close yet so far.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Too bad we didn't send a probe to take a sample of it. Might have been the chance of a lifetime.

Well, we'd need to have had a probe in orbit when we first noticed it. Which still probably would have been too late. But yeah, getting a sample of that would have been incredible.

 

[barbos]

Too bad we didn't send a probe to take a sample of it. Might have been the chance of a lifetime.

Well, we'd need to have had a probe in orbit when we first noticed it. Which still probably would have been too late. But yeah, getting a sample of that would have been incredible.

That thing moves with speed around 25km/sec
You need to speed up to it and then go back to "zero"

which means delta V is 50 km/sec at least, this is exp(50/4) = 162754.8 fuel to payload ratio.
So let say we have 10 kg spacecraft in the end. this means 1620 tonnes probe at the start.
In reality of course delta V is higher than 50 and 10 kg is way too small. So we are talking about a probe with a mass of tens of thousands of tonnes. Chemical propellant is absolute nonstarter.

 

[Speakpigeon]

Well, we'd need to have had a probe in orbit when we first noticed it. Which still probably would have been too late. But yeah, getting a sample of that would have been incredible.

That thing moves with speed around 25km/sec
You need to speed up to it and then go back to "zero"

which means delta V is 50 km/sec at least, this is exp(50/4) = 162754.8 fuel to payload ratio.
So let say we have 10 kg spacecraft in the end. this means 1620 tonnes probe at the start.
In reality of course delta V is higher than 50 and 10 kg is way too small. So we are talking about a probe with a mass of tens of thousands of tonnes. Chemical propellant is absolute nonstarter.

Ah, that's exactly what I was wondering... Thanks!

I seem to remember Saturn V was a 3000 metric tons rocket, most of it fuel, so this would still be in the range of something that has been done.

But, perhaps, now we know it's an event which is probable enough, we can prepare for the next one to come our way.

Still, what could we seriously expect to find on this asteroid that would be somehow really new to us? A note in an unknown language suggesting humans join the Galactic Federation?
EB

 

[Loren Pechtel]

It takes years to plan and then years to complete such a mission. And in this case considering the trajectory of the interstellar asteroid it is most certainly physically impossible to land on it, not with chemical rockets.

That's what I was wondering. Out of the planetary plane so it would take lots of thrust to get to that velocity. Still, so close yet so far.

It would take a hell of a lot of thrust to match velocities with it no matter what the orbital plane.

To catch it takes a bit more speed than it takes to throw something out of the solar system entirely. To date we have only accomplished that by means of multiple gravity assists. In other words, if we had a bird ready to go it would end up hopelessly far behind while it played cosmic billiards building the velocity it needs.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

That thing moves with speed around 25km/sec
You need to speed up to it and then go back to "zero"

which means delta V is 50 km/sec at least, this is exp(50/4) = 162754.8 fuel to payload ratio.
So let say we have 10 kg spacecraft in the end. this means 1620 tonnes probe at the start.
In reality of course delta V is higher than 50 and 10 kg is way too small. So we are talking about a probe with a mass of tens of thousands of tonnes. Chemical propellant is absolute nonstarter.

Still, what could we seriously expect to find on this asteroid that would be somehow really new to us? A note in an unknown language suggesting humans join the Galactic Federation?
EB

This thing is from outside the Sun's heliosphere. This would be pure science to observe what a rock that comes from far away consists of. It could provide no new info, a little new info, a moderate amount of new info, or a lot of new info. That is why you perform pure science, to obtain data. A lot of pure science observation of new things leads to contrary observations to what was expected.

- - - Updated - - -

That's what I was wondering. Out of the planetary plane so it would take lots of thrust to get to that velocity. Still, so close yet so far.

It would take a hell of a lot of thrust to match velocities with it no matter what the orbital plane.

To catch it takes a bit more speed than it takes to throw something out of the solar system entirely. To date we have only accomplished that by means of multiple gravity assists. In other words, if we had a bird ready to go it would end up hopelessly far behind while it played cosmic billiards building the velocity it needs.

We'd need to launch it well before we knew we needed to launch it.

 

[barbos]

Still, what could we seriously expect to find on this asteroid that would be somehow really new to us? A note in an unknown language suggesting humans join the Galactic Federation?
EB

This thing is from outside the Sun's heliosphere. This would be pure science to observe what a rock that comes from far away consists of. It could provide no new info, a little new info, a moderate amount of new info, or a lot of new info. That is why you perform pure science, to obtain data. A lot of pure science observation of new things leads to contrary observations to what was expected.

We don't need to sample it to achieve that.

 

[barbos]

That thing moves with speed around 25km/sec
You need to speed up to it and then go back to "zero"

which means delta V is 50 km/sec at least, this is exp(50/4) = 162754.8 fuel to payload ratio.
So let say we have 10 kg spacecraft in the end. this means 1620 tonnes probe at the start.
In reality of course delta V is higher than 50 and 10 kg is way too small. So we are talking about a probe with a mass of tens of thousands of tonnes. Chemical propellant is absolute nonstarter.

Ah, that's exactly what I was wondering... Thanks!

I seem to remember Saturn V was a 3000 metric tons rocket, most of it fuel, so this would still be in the range of something that has been done.

3000 tons at the Earth, in low orbit it was 140 tones or something like that. In this case you need 1600 tones in higher orbit. It can't be done without nuclear propulsion.

 

[Speakpigeon]

Ah, that's exactly what I was wondering... Thanks!

I seem to remember Saturn V was a 3000 metric tons rocket, most of it fuel, so this would still be in the range of something that has been done.

3000 tons at the Earth, in low orbit it was 140 tones or something like that. In this case you need 1600 tones in higher orbit. It can't be done without nuclear propulsion.

Ah, damn!

We'll need to get smarter to think of something.
EB

 

[Speakpigeon]

Still, what could we seriously expect to find on this asteroid that would be somehow really new to us? A note in an unknown language suggesting humans join the Galactic Federation?
EB

This thing is from outside the Sun's heliosphere. This would be pure science to observe what a rock that comes from far away consists of. It could provide no new info, a little new info, a moderate amount of new info, or a lot of new info. That is why you perform pure science, to obtain data. A lot of pure science observation of new things leads to contrary observations to what was expected.

Still, what could we seriously expect to find on this asteroid that would be somehow really new to us?
EB